SINGAPORE: New Medical Centre Soon for Elderly Kidney Patients

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times), July 23, 2007: By the end of 2007, elderly and needy kidney patients with multiple medical problems will have full access to medical facilities. A new centre, described as a 'semi-hospital setting at a medical centre', will be set up by Kidney Dialysis Foundation (KDF)and an unnamed party. This was announced by Dr Gordon Ku, the KDF chairman, at the opening of its third dialysis centre. He explained that the centre would cater to patients who needed more monitoring and nursing care as well as those on oxygen during dialysis. All of these are difficult to get at the KDF's current centre, which currently do not have full-time doctors. Dr Ku added it was necessary for elderly kidney patients saddled with, for example, heart disease as well, to have constant access to doctors in case of emergencies. Besides providing a hospital environment for these high-dependency patients, the upcoming centre will also cater to the growing number of needy patients, said Dr Ku. Every year, 250 new dialysis patients are diagnosed for every one million people here. With the population projected to hit 6.5 million, Singapore will see 1,625 new dialysis patients every year. If 40 per cent of these people require subsidies, the country will have an additional 650 kidney patients needing financial aid every year - a situation which may not be economically sustainable, said Dr Ku. Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings.